The design, width, and stability your sport ATV needs without the
commercialized price you don’t.

Today, many trail systems are cutting their ATV and UTV trails
between 50 and 60-inches wide. Motocross racers, sand dune riders, and
now a growing number of trail riders can benefit from the improved
handling and control of riding an ATV closer to 50-inches wide, than the
traditional 45 to 46-inch width. Most motocross races allow a maximum
width of 50 inches, and going wider generally only has an adverse
effect, causing you to lose front-end traction.

If you’re considering widening your ATV, the price can be a bit
deterring. First, most of the a-arms widely recognized from big magazine
ads and highly sponsored pro racers cost anywhere between $1,000 and
$2,500. Spending another $1,500 on front shocks is no problem if you can
afford it. However, for most racers and recreational riders, that’s
simply not necessary.

The JD Performance Difference

Pricing some new a-arms and shocks for an upcoming build, we were
reminded of the seemingly unobtainable pricing floating around, and of a
front-end we had tried in the past with a high level of success that
came at half the price of some of the front-ends we’ve seen.

Dave Herron worked for Laeger’s chassis components, building their
Pro-Trax frames during the late 1980 and 90s. When the AMA instated a
production frame rule for the pro class, the demand for aftermarket
frames was reduced. At that time, Dave left Laeger to pursue his own
company, JD Performance, where he focused on building a-arms and the
other chassis components still being commonly used on production frames.
JD Performance isn’t a widely known company since they keep their
advertising and sponsorship overhead down in an effort to keep their
retail prices low.

JD Performance builds their products in house in the USA. They offer
four basic a-arm options: standard shock length, long travel shock
length, and both are available in either standard or maximum ground
clearance. They construct their a-arms of tig-welded 4130 chromoly,
which are available in various extended lengths to suit your needs. They
come complete with ball joints, tie rods, and all necessary mounting
hardware including graphite-impregnated hard urethane bushings. The
urethane bushings can be upgraded to needle bearings at the time of
purchase for $70.

All of JD Performance’s a-arms feature their, “faster caster” caster
adjustment system providing three different caster settings. You can
move them back for high-speed desert, to the middle for all-around trail
riding, or forward for faster turning on the motocross track. Adjusting
caster takes place by moving the upper a-arm’s shims to the back, either
side, or front of the arm. The “faster caster” system offers less
ability to fine-tune your caster; however, it is quick and doesn’t
require measuring your caster settings. It works well enough that Can-Am
started using the design on its DS450 ATVs. JD’s arms also offer one of
the easier camber adjustment designs.

Standard shock and standard clearance a-arms retail for a modest $495
and just $105 more if you want long travel. JD Performance covers their
a-arms with a lifetime manufacturer’s warranty against defects. If you
plow a tree or crash and wad one up, JD Performance will sell you a
replacement single arm if needed.

The right setup for you

If you have rebuildable front shocks, you may be able to have them
modified to work with long travel a-arms. Check with your favorite
suspension tuner of JD Performance if you aren’t sure. If your
rebuildable stock shocks can’t be extended, you will need standard shock
a-arms; if you have a machine with non-rebuildable front shocks you will
need to buy aftermarket shocks. Most shock builders charge the same
price for standard or long travel shocks these days. With only a $105
price difference between JD Performance standard and long travel a-arms,
you might as well opt for long travel a-arms and shocks. Keep In mind
that long travel usually has more to do with the length of the shock
than the actual wheel travel, although the quality of travel is
generally better on a long travel shock.

Our setup

When we built our 400EX a few years back, many manufacturers were
charging significantly different prices for standard and long-travel
front ends, so we opted to go with JD Performance Standard Shock A-arms.
We went +3 inch wider a-arms and switched from the stock 3+2 to 4+1
offset front wheels. This setup yields a machine that measures in
four-inches wider at 49.5-inches wide, while the reduced wheel offset
reduces steering effort and bump feedback felt through the steering.

Since the 400EX features disposable front shocks, we went with PEP’s
Limited Mass remote reservoir-equipped shocks featuring compression
adjustment for $1070. If we were doing this build today, we would stick
with the limited mass shocks, but go with the long travel a-arms for
virtually the same price.

If you’re happy with the performance of your rear shock and you don’t
change your swingarm length, you may be able to leave the rear shock
alone and save yourself some dough. Since it’s necessary to widen the
front and rear of your ATV together, we swapped out the stock axle with
a Tusk Racing axle from Rocky Mountain ATV for $199.95.

The Test

The JD Performance A-arms bolted up flawlessly. The arms’ welds are
clean and consistent, as we would expect from a fabricator with Dave’s
extensive experience. We liked the arms’ MX caster setting for tight
tracks, while we sometimes switched to the middle, woods’ setting for
faster, more wide open tracks.

With the JD Performance a-arms and PEP Limited Mass shocks installed,
we got exactly what we were looking for out of our machine’s new front
end. Cornering stability was dramatically improved. We could carry a lot
more speed into, through, and out of turns. Carrying more momentum
through turns let us clear some jumps that would have been nearly
impossible on the less stable 45.5-inch wide stock machine. Off road or
in the dunes, the extra width would be a big asset both in turns and on
side hills. The improved stability also comes in handy when you land a
little crossed up on jumps.

The combination of the JD Performance arms and PEP shocks yield 10.5
inches of suspension travel; all the travel you need for motocross. The
PEP shocks helped keep the front end flat through corners and ate up the
biggest hits we threw at them without ever bottoming hard.

Conclusion

JD Performance builds a good product at a very reasonable price.
We’ve been reluctant to use many lower priced a-arms for fear of
sacrificing quality construction combined with the fact that our test
riders like to push the limits of man and machine.

Having inspected, installed, and tested JD Performance arms, we
wouldn’t hesitate to use or recommend them.